U.S. Army Special Operations Command Parachute Demonstration Team-The Black Daggers.

Tips: Clean your cameras and lenses and take all your telephoto lenses. Hope for sunny skies with fluffy clouds; makes for the best shots.

The Thunderbirds will be performing on Saturday and Sunday, October 1-2, 2016 at the Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia.

It's an election year and some politicians and talking-heads have been saying our military is depleted and that our power around the world has been diminished. If you believe that you should go see the U.S. Air Force Demonstration Air Squadron (Thunderbirds). It will change you mind.

The reason I am writing this post is when I saw the Thunderbirds were performing in Georgia it brought to mind my last newspaper shoot covering an air show. There were numerous military and civilian aircraft in the show, and the Thunderbirds were the closing act. There was excitement in the air as everyone waited for the sound of the 'birds."

I, too, was excited, as all of the past airshows I had covered had early deadlines, and anyone who has every worked for a newspaper knows you get your best shot or your best lines (if you area a writer) and beat it. I had no other assignments that day, and I had a late deadline so I decided to stay for the Thunderbirds.

I usually don't remember much about assignments; they run together and one public event is much like any other. This one I remember because just as I took the first shot of the Thunderbirds my telephoto lens malfunctioned. By the time I tried to force it into working, and changed to less suitable lenses, the show was over.

That is my story of the shoot, which is only interesting to photographers, but what about military might? Let's just say if you were a bad-guy-mark for the Thunderbirds, you would never know what hit you. You don't see of hear them until they are on top of you. They whoosh out of nowhere, and the only way you will ever hear or see them is if they don't drop a bomb on you. And, of course, we have even more powerful aircraft these days. So, yes, when it comes to military might, we are the most powerful country in the world.

Not the Thunderbirds, nor will they appear in Warner Robins show; just a reminder to photograph the special effects. I took this before my lens went on strike.